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The World Outdoors: Climate change threatens winter birds

The snow bunting wears away the brown on its feathers through winter by rubbing its plumage on snow. This will reveal the bird’s striking black and white breeding plumage. During a late-summer molt, its feathers are replaced with cinnamon tones. (PAUL NICHOLSON, Special to Postmedia News)

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This week, while driving along Middlesex County’s concession roads, I was happy to add snow buntings, horned larks, and American tree sparrows to the day’s bird list.

Each of these three smaller winter birds is easy to find across Southwestern Ontario and each has an interesting story.

Snow buntings are sparrow-sized but they are easily identified by habitat, behavior, and plumage. They are found along country roads, always in flocks. You often see dozens of them together or even groups of 100.

The non-breeding plumage shows bits of brown on white plumage with black wingtips and some black on the tail. You will see flashes of white on their wings when they fly. The breeding plumage is simply white with black wingtips and some black tail feathers.

Through the winter, snow buntings eat corn and seeds left on fields or spilled on rural roads. With little snow cover this winter, they’ve had no trouble finding food.

It shouldn’t surprise us that they like open fields because snow buntings breed on the treeless tundra of Nunavut and our Arctic archipelago. Male snow buntings fly north from Southwestern Ontario in April, a month or six weeks before the females head north.

In terms of size and shape, habitat, and behavior, horned larks are a lot like the snow buntings. These birds also are sparrow-like, you find them on fields, and they are social creatures, usually found in flocks. They often are in mixed flocks too, comfortable in the company of snow buntings.

Horned larks have brown backs, light bellies, yellow chins, and Lone Ranger masks. Their little dark “horns” are tufts of feathers that are not always seen.

Most of our horned larks migrate to the Arctic but, unlike snow buntings, some will stick around Southwestern Ontario for the summer breeding season.

The third featured winter species isn’t just sparrow-like, it is a sparrow. At first glance, the American tree sparrow is simply another “little brown job” but some field marks should clinch your identification.

The bird’s rusty cap, plain grey chest, and wing bars might at first bring to mind a chipping sparrow, but chipping sparrows leave for the winter. To confirm the tree sparrow ID, look at the bird’s two-toned beak.

Perhaps the most interesting thing about this ground bird is its name. You would think that a tree sparrow’s preferred habitat is trees but this isn’t the case. They prefer shrubs and scrubby fields.

By early spring, these birds will head to their breeding grounds in the far north.

Apart from the similar size of these three birds, it is interesting to note that all seek out over-wintering habitat that is similar to their preferred open, treeless northern breeding territory.

There are conservation issues that these birds face. Snow buntings could be set back by climate change. Warmer temperatures cue earlier breeding but there is a lag in food abundance needed by the young birds.

North American horned lark populations have dropped more than 50 per cent in the past 50 years.

Nature notes

The three harlequin ducks seen earlier this week by Gordon Cameron and Mike Channon had lots of birders out along the Thames River in London’s Springbank Park.

Trail improvements at the Coves and at Westminster Ponds in London will be made as part of the federal government’s infrastructure program. London North Centre MP Peter Fragiskatos told me “London’s natural areas are one aspect of what make the Forest City great. They are shared spaces where Londoners can gather, reflect, and enjoy the simple beauty that nature has to offer.”

Nature London invites the public to join in on a free birding hike through Gibbons Park on Saturday. Meet the leader at 10 a.m. in the parking lot at the west end of Victoria Street.

Nature London also is hosting an evening about the fauna of Madagascar. Pete Read and Sue Read who have led nature tours through this island nation will present on Feb. 26 at 7:30 p.m. at London’s Civic Garden Complex. The cost is $5 or free for Nature London members.